Legendary Hollywood icon Jimmy Stewart died in 1997, but his voice can now be heard reading a bedtime story on the sleep and meditation app, Calm, Variety reported.
The actor’s voice you’d hear on the app is, of course, generated by AI. Calm recreated his voice using voice-cloning technology. The app has Stewart’s family’s and estate’s — managed by CMG Worldwide — consent.
Jimmy Stewart and It’s a Wonderful Sleep Story
The project, billed as It’s a Wonderful Sleep Story,” is said to be “heartwarming new holiday tale,” will be available exclusively on Calm. Calm Premium subscribers, who pay $69.99 annually, can access it on Dec. 5.
Stewart begins the sleep story with, “Well, hello. I’m James Stewart. But, well, you can call me Jimmy,” the AI-generated voice of Stewart says in the story’s intro. “Tonight, I’m going to tell you a story. It’s a heartwarming story of love, of loss, of hope and of joy. But most of all, it’s a wonderful sleep story.
One of Stewart’s daughters Kelly Stewart Harcourt said in a statement, “We are excited for our dad to be the voice of Calm’s latest Sleep Story. It’s amazing what technology can do and wonderful to see Dad’s legacy live on this holiday season in new ways, like helping people find restful sleep and sweet dreams.”
To recreate Stewart’s voice, Calm worked with Respeecher, an AI voice-cloning startup. Respeecher had previously recreated Mark Hamill’s voice for The Mandalorian as Luke Skywalker. They also did the same for James Earl Jones, who voiced Darth Vader, for Obi-Wan Kenobi.
CMG Worldwide’s chief marketing officer Tina Xavie said, “Jimmy Stewart’s calming voice is one of the most iconic in movie history, and we’re thrilled to see it brought to the leading relaxation app on the market.”
“Thanks to advanced technology, we all get the joy of hearing Jimmy’s unique voice again,” she continued.
Generative AI in Hollywood
Respeecher used an actor who read the lines and mimicked Stewart’s style of speaking.
The company’s CEO and co-founder, Alex Serdiuk, explained, “It was essential, like in all other projects, that the project was done according to high ethical standards and respect, which Respeecher has advocated for many years.”
“James Stewart is one of the most remarkable actors in U.S. history. Recreating his voice with AI was both a huge responsibility and an honor for Respeecher. It was a way to pay tribute to his incredible career and all the good memories he left to people,” he added.
Generative AI projects have been met with backlash in recent months, especially with SAG-AFTRA’s ongoing internal debates. The recently announced plans of an animated biopic of Edith Piaf, which will use AI to reproduce her voice, resulted in criticism from social media users. Respeecher is also involved in that project.
Calm has a roster of celebrities on its Sleep Story series such as Jennifer Garner, Shawn Mendes, Cynthia Erivo, Camila Cabello, Nick Offerman, Harry Styles, Michael Bublé, Matthew McConaughey, LeBron James, Regé-Jean Page, Laura Dern, Cillian Murphy, Idris Elba, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, LeVar Burton, Lucy Liu, Mandy Moore and Kate Winslet.
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